Peter Early

Peter Early (June 20, 1773 – August 15, 1817) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician. He was born near Madison, Virginia in 1773, the son of Joel Early and Lucy Smith. His cousin, Jubal Early, was the grandfather of Confederate General Jubal Anderson Early (1816–1894). Peter Early graduated from the Lexington Academy (current-day Washington and Lee University). He later graduated from Princeton College in 1792. His family moved to Wilkes County, Georgia that same year; however, Peter Early was studying law with Jared Ingersoll in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After finishing his legal studies, Early joined his family in Wilkes County, married Ann Adams Smith in 1793 and began his law practice in Washington, Georgia, in 1796. Early...